


Blood of Innocents

by xtricks



Series: Blood and Ashes [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dark, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 12:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14592828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtricks/pseuds/xtricks
Summary: Sometime late in S5, Daisy weighs the life of one against the weight of the world.These kinda take place outside continuity, since there’s been no real downtime for Daisy to be running off to LA.  Not to mention Infinity War.  Also, this is super dark.  And CRITICALLY SPOILS INFINITY WAR - don’t read if you haven’t seen the movie yet (and/or care about being spoiled).





	Blood of Innocents

It was a normal day in LA.  The gold disk of the sun bright in an endless blue sky, traffic and smog and shouts a grimy contrast to that distant perfection.  Sitting on the curb, Daisy let the warmth soak into her shoulders. It was nice. How long had it been since she’d just ... sat in the sun?  A bunch of kids were hanging out in the abandoned lot next to Canelo’s, yelling in Spanish, arguing over the music they were blaring. There’d been a little shoving match but it subsided when the owner of the corner bodega leaned out to shout indiscriminately at everyone.  They eventually settled on techno, giving each other fake gang signs and laughing with the nervous bravado of adolescence. Innocents.

Daisy was holding a pistol tucked out of sight against her belly.  It was no ICER. She was no innocent. The future was waiting for her; Destroyer of Worlds.  There had to be a way to stop it - there _was_ a way to stop it.  All it took was one bullet and one promise.

Robbie would come for her.  The _Rider_ would come for her when she spilled innocent blood and keep his promise.

In all the years she’d worked for SHIELD, all the things she’d seen - there’d been nothing like the Ghost Rider and if there was anything that could change the future, surely _it_ could.  Daisy wondered if Robbie, when he’d died, had felt like she did now, willing to do anything to save his brother.  His price had been his soul. Her price to save the world?  Murder a child.

“One life,” she muttered, throat tightening with a kind of nauseous horror as she tightened her grip on the gun. “One life spent - “  Billions earned.

She’d been sitting here over an hour when Robbie’s shadow stretched down the sidewalk, then contorted as he settled down next to her.  

“I - I can’t.”  Defeated.

Robbie’s hand slid along her stomach, finding the gun, easing it from her sweaty hands.  “I’m glad,” he said gruffly.

“Glad?” Her strained whisper sounded like a scream.  “Everything, Robbie, _everyone!_  Or just - just one.  That’s no choice.”

His expression hardened and even though he looked nothing like a burning skull, he looked exactly like the Ghost Rider.  “There’s _always_ choices - and consequences.”

“Yeah,” Daisy breathed, watching as the kids walked off in the approaching twilight, arms slung over each others shoulders.  They were talking about girls. “And if something doesn’t stop me, I’m going to kill everyone. Make him kill me _now._  Just - make him do it.  If he doesn’t, millions of _innocents_ are going to die.  Isn’t that the Ghost Rider’s deal?"

“I can’t,” he said, arm settling over her shoulders warm as the sunlight.  His voice was strained and Daisy wondered if he’d tried to force the Rider out, make him kill her before vengeance was necessary.  Or, if he was holding it back, because _he_ couldn’t.  Choices.

“Robbie, the whole world is going to die!  I can’t stop it. I’m going to destroy everything, shake the planet apart!  I’ve seen it. You have to trust me, I know -”

“I do.  I believe you.”  Robbie’s arm tightened.  “But it doesn’t work that way.  The other guy doesn’t _protect_ .  He just _avenges_.”

“What’s good is vengeance after the end of the world?  It’s _useless!_ And you _promised!”_ She sounded like a stupid little girl, like a kid standing at the orphanage while another car drove away.  They promised. They always promised.

“I know.  And I’m here.”  Robbie was looking at the sky and Daisy did too, at the long California sunset, beautiful and perfect and maybe the last.  “Whatever you decide.”

Robbie pulled her close until all she smelled was leather and engine grease and the faint smell of ashes.  “Choice,” he whispered harshly against her hair. “Daisy, if you don’t want to destroy the world, then _don’t.”_

 _  
_ “It’s not that simple!” She wailed, furious.  “I”m the - the Destroyer of Worlds, and time never changes, and we’ve seen the future and it fucking sucks!”

“It _is_ that simple,” Robbie shook her and his eyes were wild.  He did believe her. He believed _in_ her, believed in her enough to truly let her decide.  To let her commit murder if she chose, and be grateful when she didn’t.  “All the bullshit everyone is telling you - it’s not on _them_ , Daisy.  It’s on _you._   _You_ decide what you do.  You. No one else.”

The weight of that choice was killing her - making her ask a friend to kill her and that was a cruel choice she _could_ control.  She let her fingers settle on the gun lying on the concrete between them.  The choice was simple, one life for the world. _Her_ life.  She would do what had to be done and just wished she’d figured it out before forcing Robbie to bear witness.

“Robbie ... I’m sorry,” she whispered.  There were no good choices and no time left.  She pressed her face to Robbie’s, feeling the hot streak of tears on his skin.  He wasn’t a stupid man.

“I’m here,” Robbie breathed, arm trembling on her back but not holding her back, letting her make her own choices.  Stupidly, that made her heart lift, here at the end.

Someone nearby snapped their fingers, a startling sound that made Daisy jump.  Robbie’s breath left him in a sudden huff, eyes widening in shock. Then the shock burned away as sudden fire rose up in his brown eyes, smoke wisping from his sleeves.

“What -?”  Daisy grabbed his arm, looking wildly around.  Hadn’t there been five boys walking away a moment ago, not three?  “What’s going on? _Robbie?”_

Daisy couldn’t grab him.  Her fingers were slipping away, _really_ slipping away into ash and dust on the wind, and she couldn’t scream because _all_ of her was slipping away.  She couldn't even say good-bye, because Robbie was gone too - burned away in a sudden roar of vengeful fire she couldn’t feel.

 _She_ wasn’t the Destr-

 

END 5/9/18


End file.
